It's nothing to gobble about - just as Thanksgiving nears, Butterball is reporting a shortage of fresh turkeys.

One of the largest producers of turkeys in the nation has told retailers it is cutting allotments of fresh turkeys that are 16 pounds and larger.

The good news is supermarkets in the midstate say plenty of turkeys – both, fresh and frozen – will be available for the holiday.

“What we are doing in response to this to make sure we stay in stock, is we are ordering more Weis fresh quality turkeys,” said Dennis Curtin, spokesman for Weis Markets. “We'll compensate by ordering fresh turkeys from other sources.”

Most shoppers lean toward the frozen variety. Curtin said frozen turkeys make up about 70 to 75 percent of turkey sales at Weis.

“In the case of Giant, we are in good shape, and we are seeing very little to no impact in our stores. We like to say that here at Giant if customers are looking for Thanksgiving fixings and turkeys, we've got everything they need.”

In a statement Thursday, Butterball said the shortage is related to unexpected low weight gains.

“While we are continuing to evaluate all potential causes, we are working to remedy the issue and are currently seeing turkey weight gain improvement,” the company said

Butterball said it expects to fulfill turkey orders for the Christmas holiday.